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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · clip · bark · pitcher · lie · present · lash · degree

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — from a university
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. clip — a video
  22. bark — to shout
  23. present — there
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com